Rail-joint.



No. 746,620. PATENTED D E0.8,1903.

P. W. WILHARM.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

lllll lllllib UNITED STATES Patented December 8, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK WILLIAM WILHARM, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN OR OFONE-FIFTH TO AUGUST FREDERICK WILHARM, OF PITTSBURG, PENN SYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 746,620, datedDecember 8, 1903- Application filed September 22, 1903. Serial No.174,164.. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WILLIAM WILHARM, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Swissvale, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inrail-joints; and the primary object of the invention is to provide noveland efiective means for the joining of the rails together without theaid of bolts and nuts through the fish-plates and webs of the rails, asis now generally employed.

It is another object of the present invention toiprovide means toprevent the creep ing of the rails; and it is a still further object toprovide a joint that may be easily and quickly made and as easily and asquickly removed, whereby to permit the removal of the rails for anydesired'cause.

The invention resides in the novel construction, combination, andarrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more specificallydescribed, and then particularly pointed out in the claims, and indescribing the invention in detail reference Will be had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and whereinlike numerals of reference will be employed to designate like partsthroughout the different ,views, in which- Figure l is a top plan viewof my improved jointin position on the rails. Fig. 2 is an end view ofthe joint, showing the rail in transverse section. Fig. 3 is a top planview of the saddle-plate and fish-plates detached from the rails. Fig. 4is a top plan view of the saddle or tie plate. Fig. 5 is a sideelevation of the joint. Fig. 6 is an end view of the form of saddle ortie plate shown in Fig. 4.; Fig. '7 is an end view of a modified form ofconstruction of saddle or tie plate. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective viewof one of the fishplates. Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the modi fiedform of saddle or tie plate shown in end view in Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is atop plan view of a part of one rail. Fig. 11 is an end view of the rail,and Fig. 12 is an underneath plan view of a part of the rail.

My invention involves a saddle or tie plate on which the ends of therails rest, this saddle or tie plate being provided with means toreceive the ends of the rails and said ends being shaped so as to fitneatly with the said means on the saddle or tie plate, whichconstruction is provided for the purpose of preventing the creeping ofthe rails. A pair of fish-plates engage underneath the tread of the railand with flanges formed on the saddle or tie plate, the fish-platesbeing slightly tapered, preferably, as is the saddle or tie plate, inorder to give a wedge principle to the parts when in position. Theseparts will now be described in detail.

1 indicatesthe base of the saddle or tie plate, which at each edge isprovided withan upwardly-extending and inwardly-curved flange 2. One endof this plate is preferably made slightly wider than the other, andlocated approximately centrally of the length of the plate are abutmentsto be engaged by the ends of the rails. These abutments may be in theform of substantially triangular lips3, as seen in Figs. 4 and 6, whichare cut from the plate 1 and struck up beyond the plane of the upperface of said plate, as clearly seenv in Fig. 6, or, instead of the con.-struction just described, these abutments may be in the form of bosses4, as seen in Figs. '7 and 9, the only difference in the saddle or tieplate in the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 6 and that shown in Figs.7 and 9 being in the form or construction of the abutments. Theseabutments, as stated, are adapted to receive the ends of the rails, andthese rails to this end are beveled, so as to conform to the angularsides of the abutments. The bevels .6 are made on the ends of therail-base, and these beveis b fit against the angular sides of theabutments when the rails are in position. The fish-plates embody thevertical member and theintegral memberor flange 8, the vertical member 7having its upper edge beveled to conform to the underneath face of therail-tread and the member or flange 8 being adapted to have its edgereceived in the curved flange 2. As the saddle or tie plate is, asstated, slightly wider at one end than the other, the fish-plates willalso be slightly wider to impart a wedge shape thereto, so that theywill be securely held in position when inserted. The saddle or tie platemay be securely spiked to the crossties after laying of the rails.

In operation the rails are laid on the saddle or tie plate with theirbeveled ends in engagement with the abutments and the wedge fishplatesthen inserted into position endwise and the joint is complete. Thefish-plates wedging against the flanges 2 and the webs of the rails aresecurely held, and the engagement of the spikes (not shown) with theflanges 2 securely fastens the tie-plate to the cross-ties.

As shown in figure, I prefer to have the fish-plates 8 normallysupporting the rails at the ends, so as to hold the same clear of thebase-plate l in order that as pressure is applied to the rails at theirends, as by the passing thereover of a train, the rails may have aslight depression movement, which will tend to wedge the fish-plates attheir edges against the underneath side of the tread and edge engagingthe flanges, respectively. By this means also wear on the edges of thefishplates is provided for.

While I have herein shown and described the invention in detail as it ispracticed by me, yetit will be evident that various changes may be madein the details of construction without departing from the general spiritof my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In combination with the rails havingthe base thereof at the ends beveled, of a tieplate having abutments onits upper face to be engaged by the beveled ends of the rails, curvedflanges carried on the edges of said tie-plate, and fish-plates engagingunderneath the tread of the rails and with said flanges of thetie-plate, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the rails having the base thereof beveled at theends, atie-plate having abutments provided with beveled sides to beengaged by the beveled ends of the rail-base, flanges carried by thetie-plate, and fish-plates wedged between said flanges and theunderneath face of the rail-tread, substantially as described.

3. In a rail-joint, the combination of a tieplate having abutments onits upper face to be engaged by the ends of the abutting rails, andprovided at each edge with an upwardly and inwardly extending flange,and fishplates wedged between the rail-tread and said flanges,substantially as described.

4:. In a rail-joint, a tie-plate provided on its upper face withoppositely-disposed abutments and having flanges along its edges, andfish-plates adapted to be wedged between the rail-tread and saidflanges, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affixmy signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

FREDERICK WILLIAM WILHARM.

Witnesses:

H. O. EVERT, A. M. WILSON.

